


Starting to the Future

by quietinthelibrary



Category: Free!
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Post-Series, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 04:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5525027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietinthelibrary/pseuds/quietinthelibrary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After graduating from high school, Haruka adjusts to university life and the way distance affects the dynamics of each of his friendships, particularly with Rin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starting to the Future

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Poteto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poteto/gifts).



> (the title is from the starting days! ost, and is also what was on repeat as i wrote this. i felt that it was appropriate for the time period i cover in this fic.)
> 
> this is for prompt #2, about rin and haru meeting again after college started for both of them!

They said goodbye to Rin the day after graduation.

It had felt so abrupt; everything after Australia and their final relay had felt like a blur, and before Haruka knew it, exams had ended, the graduation ceremony passed, yearbooks were signed and Nagisa, Rei, and Gou had insisted on taking pictures with him and Makoto, in commemoration of being the original members of the newly resurrected Iwatobi High swim club.

Samezuka’s graduation ceremony had been on the same day, so they’d all decided to meet up after their respective ceremonies, a large, raucous party at a restaurant somewhere between both schools; on one hand a graduation celebration, on another, a semi-impromptu farewell party for Rin. His university over in Sydney had actually already started its first day of instruction then, but there was no way Rin could miss his own graduation, so he had had to leave early the next day.

After dinner, Haruka had invited Rin to come over to his house, while the rest of the Iwatobi swim team had gone on ahead to surprise him when he came in to a “real” farewell party, meticulously planned by the Iwatobis—or really, by Nagisa and Gou, with Rei and Makoto pitching some ideas in, while Haruka allowed them to use his house. Inwardly moping over Rin’s imminent departure, maybe, but he wasn’t going to say so, and otherwise didn’t have much to contribute that Nagisa or Gou hadn’t already thought of.

Haruka had been a bit distracted throughout—though a smaller, cozier gathering was better for him, and made him participate more than he had throughout their larger dinner party—the fact that Rin was going to be gone by tomorrow was distracting, pressing in on him throughout the whole night, even as they gave Rin records of old memories while making new ones, all to make up for Rin not being at the same school and graduation ceremony as them.

Rin had choked up, lips firmly pressed together to hold back the trembling when they had presented him with their photo album; he had turned aside, facing away from them all with a hand to his face, before he turned back to them with dry eyes but a rougher voice than usual as he thanked them all. The more Haruka observed Rin’s reactions throughout the night, the more the thought that he would be gone tomorrow seemed to suffocate him, and the more Haruka tried to push those thoughts away. After all, it was just fact: Rin was going to train in Australia—he came with Rin when he was accepting the offer from his coach, after all—and would thus be physically away from them. It wasn’t anything new, yet the feeling wouldn’t go away.

Regardless of what really caused it, that feeling didn’t go away until after Rin was gone. Not like Rin being gone made things much better, but it was easier to accept after the fact; and they kept in touch too, unlike last time, years ago. It’s not like distance was new to them anyway, with going to different schools and all, and even then that was nothing to those five or so years of silence.

This time, newer technology helped a lot more with keeping in touch: a week or so before graduation, everyone had sat him down and made him download and make a Skype account, while Makoto checked what phone plan they had, since their parents had gotten theirs together. All of that simultaneously made it easy to keep in touch, yet underscored just how limited their contact now was, only able to see a screen and a message or hear a voice now, and maybe that was why it felt so bittersweet.

Two weeks after they’d seen Rin off at the train station, Haruka and Makoto had moved to Tokyo. School wouldn’t start for about another two weeks, but it was more prudent to get settled in before then. Rin had been the first (besides Makoto) to see his new living arrangements, as plain and unembellished as his childhood home, over webcam.

However, just before university started, Rin told them to come back to Iwatobi for the weekend; it was a mid-semester break for Rin and he wanted them all to come see something. He had told them to come in their Iwatobi swim club gear, just for old times’ sake.

As the old captain of Samezuka’s swim team, Rin had been able to pull some strings and show Haruka and the others a sight he’d never seen before: the pool of cherry blossoms, and this time they had a chance to swim in it.

Haruka had quite enjoyed it, lazily floating on the water as the air was filled with his friends’ laughter and splashing around; he hadn’t been disturbed until Rin had swam up next to him and asked if he was enjoying himself, something Haruka thought had to have been rather self-evident, but he had made some satisfied sound in response.

He could practically feel the way Rin grinned in response, before he asked if he could go back with him and Makoto to Tokyo when they went back. Rin was planning on getting an official time for the national team in Tokyo, before he continued training in Australia, to ensure that he would be representing Japan at official meets and all. Haruka had been pretty sure that Rin was going to go along with them anyway, given that, but figured he may as well let him see his apartment—in person, this time. Also, he needed to set a time for the national team too, and figured he might as well go with Rin there.

The short plane ride back to Tokyo had been largely uneventful, besides Rin chatting amiably with Makoto about his training in Australia, and how university classes had been so far, with Haruka occasionally participating in their conversation now and then. Makoto had tagged along as they got official times for the team, and then they visited Makoto’s apartment (relatively plain, slightly messier, and with more pictures of his family) before going out for ramen together.

They parted ways at the train station, Makoto having seen them off while Rin stayed the night at Haruka’s apartment before he went back to Iwatobi, so as not to get into Haruka’s hair as he started class at Tokai University the next day. Haruka had pulled out the spare futon and loaned Loosejaw-kun to Rin again, while they exchanged their usual vows that the next time they raced the other, they’d be even faster than before.

Haruka hadn’t gotten to see Rin in person since that sleepover.

* * *

Adjusting to university life hadn’t been too bad for Haruka, body used to early rising, while his classes and practice schedule were pretty well balanced. Occasionally, he got in touch with Makoto, who was attending another Tokyo university with a focus in physical training and child development, but was subsequently kept rather busy with schoolwork alone. At the very least, he wasn’t burning down his apartment when cooking dinner, and besides studying seemed to be doing well. Sometimes they would just send messages to each other about their day (Makoto more often than he did), if there was much else to say besides touching base with each other.

On the other hand, Rin would have a video call with him every week, something that Haruka thought was probably the biggest change between the first time Rin had been in Australia and now, to him. Now he could count on Rin actually calling him (even if it would only be on his computer screen, and only if he had his laptop on and Skype signed in) instead of the silence and impatient waiting by the phone for a call, or anything, like before. (Even the one letter he got from Rin at that time had to be given to him from Sousuke, as much as Haruka had—and now, looking back on it, still does—cherished.)

While Haruka had become accustomed to Rin’s weekly updates on how his training was going, while demanding that Haruka give a similar report on his own to Rin, every week Rin seemed to have something new to say that wasn’t about swimming. At first, it just started out with a few daily life things, something like the occasional cat spotting—the sort of thing Haruka thought Rin and Makoto would probably send each other—or a picture or two of Winnie whenever Rin would visit his homestay family.

But then sometimes… sometimes Rin would also open up about things like how he was feeling, like whenever fears of hitting a wall and ending up the way he did the first time in Australia would seem to creep up on him; Haruka usually just offered a listening ear, letting Rin share as much as he felt comfortable with and responding as best he could to Rin’s questions whenever he asked them. Occasionally he’d think of something more reassuring to say as well, once he had enough time to think over Rin’s words and what he thought Rin needed to hear the most, and would be rewarded when Rin smiled widely into the webcam, or otherwise seemed bolstered by his words.

And while Haruka wasn’t exactly one for opening up about himself, Rin being so open about himself invited Haruka to share more about how he was doing as well. It was… new, to say the least, though Rin had always been the one to demand more from him than anyone else seemed to. With Makoto, he almost never had to say anything, though nowadays Makoto wasn’t exactly around to just take a look at him and get the gist of how things were, so talking became more of a necessity with him as well.

Of course, Nagisa, Rei, and Gou would also check up on him, sometimes asking him if he had any advice for a few difficult swimmers, sometimes chattering on about how things were going at Iwatobi for the three of them, sometimes just to talk about whatever. Talking with—or more often listening to—his underclassmen never failed to brighten up his day.

Talking with Makoto was more often than not calming—so long as Makoto wasn’t at risk of some mishap in the kitchen—like how Haruka imagined catching up with a brother might feel like. Talking with Rin, on the other hand, would make him feel a sort of pang in his chest with each call. Haruka wasn’t sure what to make of it.

After all, Rin was in contact with him—with them all—now, not like last time… or maybe it’s because it’s a worry from last time that just pervades his mind now, despite it all; like a scar and its ever-present reminder of the past.

Or maybe it was a part of missing someone that was far away from you, since he did miss his other friends too; maybe the fact that an ocean divides them made the difference?

Sometimes, he would feel this the most when it gets late, and neither have ended the call just yet, despite lowered guards and soft smiles and eyelids that are starting to droop over tired, yet happy gazes (proud, even); when Haruka thinks that Rin’s run out of things to say and they should both be sleeping, Rin especially with the time difference.

Or when Rin congratulated him on his nineteenth birthday, lamenting the fact that he couldn’t go back and see him in person, yet having already sent something over to Makoto to give to Haruka for him (though Haruka didn’t know this until Makoto had shown up at his door). Rin had given him a (limited edition) Loosejaw-kun scarf, and a handwritten letter that Haruka ended up reading over and over, until he’d pretty much memorized every word, every stroke on the page, but would still come back to it every day, a pang in his chest every time he read it.

When it sometimes feels like there have been things left unsaid—a look, a gaze, being dropped (and through the computer screen, who can really tell the difference anyway? It just makes Haruka want to see Rin in person even more)—and he wants to say that he misses him, but he ends up following Rin’s lead and leaves it unsaid as well, and instead says that he won’t lose when they get to race again.

They didn’t have much overlap when it came to official races, though, either going to different circuits or simply having different competition dates. As it turned out, the next time they would be able to see each other in person again was probably going to be over winter break, since that was the next break that actually overlapped with both of them.

With that in mind, thinking about seeing Rin again would now make his heart seem to leap into his throat, and like with the pangs in his chest he’d felt talking to him, Haruka didn’t understand why this was happening either. He can admit to himself that he misses Rin, but why is it any different from missing Rei, or Nagisa, or Gou, or even Makoto, who he’d grown up with? Especially since it’s not like when they had just graduated from elementary school, or when they had first met again by chance and then ended that encounter so disastrously… or was that what was causing this? Were the two related? Haruka isn’t sure.

Either way, with only a few more weeks before winter break, Haruka busied himself with schoolwork and training, deciding that he may as well deal with this… whatever this was when he finally got to see Rin again.

* * *

It seemed like little to no time had passed before winter break started—schoolwork had been fine, and training had thus far been going smoothly—and so Haruka found himself packing before he heard a knock at the door and a familiar voice calling out to him before letting himself in.

“Sorry for the intrusion, Haru!” Makoto said as he took off his already packed backpack with a thud. Haruka merely walked out of his room to acknowledge his presence before returning to his packing in his room, knowing that Makoto would follow him in once he’d taken off his shoes.

Surely enough, while Haruka was folding up his clothes, Makoto joined him in his room and sat down at his desk.

Makoto let out a huge sigh of relief. “Aren’t you glad to start winter break, Haru? School’s been so draining these last couple of weeks….”

“You shouldn’t have taken so many classes, Makoto.” He didn’t have that much more he needed to pack.

“Ha… yeah, I guess so. But I really liked those classes, and they’re all major requirements, so I’m glad I took them already anyway.”

Haruka packed a few of his favorite swimsuits away. “Hm,” was all he said in response, before he went to the bathroom to grab his toothbrush and other toiletries.

As he came back, he saw Makoto typing away quickly on his phone, focused on whatever it was he was saying before looking up and meeting Haruka’s quizzical stare.

“It’s Rin. He was wondering when we were going to come back,” Makoto said, smiling in that way of his that told Haruka nothing. Haruka was sure that Makoto knew that he had picked up on that, but didn’t say anything as he finished packing his bag and started to put on more layers.

As Haruka picked up his bag, he asked, “What did you tell him?”

“Oh, just that we’d be back in a few hours—our flight’s at 11, so we’d better head out soon.”

“Let’s go.”

Makoto leapt up from his desk. “Ah, right!”

Haruka decided not to question what was making Makoto act so strangely and walked toward his apartment’s entryway. Only a few more hours before he would be back in his grandmother’s home in Iwatobi, and before he would see everyone else again.

Before he would get to see Rin again.

* * *

The plane seemed to land in almost no time, though Makoto had filled the bulk of it with talk about the last few weeks of school and with the presents he had prepared for his siblings and everyone else back home (“I don’t really know what Sousuke would like though, I hope he’s okay with this gift…”). Haruka hadn’t put as much thought into those, having just collected a few things from Tokyo that reminded him of his friends, or otherwise just making something himself.

They had just gotten off the plane and were now headed for the exit, and it was now that the immediacy of getting to see Rin again swept over him, like anticipation was flooding his chest and making his heart feel more buoyant as they got closer to the doors.

That was nothing to the feeling he felt when he saw familiar red hair and a sharp grin in the crowd, getting closer to them before Rin was right there, in front of him.

“Yo, Haru.” Rin’s eyes widened briefly, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks before he grinned, saying, “Wow, are you that happy to see me? I’m flattered.” Then he turned to Makoto and said, “Hey, Makoto, it’s good to see you too!”

Haruka just watched the two of them exchange pleasantries while he processed Rin’s words, before he realized that he was smiling, too.

Rin’s words broke through his thoughts. “C’mon, let’s get going! The others are waiting for you two, you know.”

“Right, let’s go! C’mon Haru!” Makoto said, following Rin out the door.

Haruka let out a small sigh, willing the feelings in his chest to calm down before he followed them out as well. Rin was here, he was looking well, and Haruka still had everyone else to see again, even if it seemed like he wasn’t going to figure out why Rin was eliciting such a strange reaction from him whenever he saw him, just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i took so long to get around to the actual prompt itself... ^^;;
> 
> when i started thinking about this and the way their future schedules would've worked, it ended up being a lot more convoluted than i thought it would be... thanks kyoani....
> 
> i think i'll add another chapter to this (that would cover more of the actual "meeting again" part of your prompt orz); i apologize for the delay ;_;/ and wish you a merry christmas if you celebrate it, and happy holidays otherwise :')


End file.
